PMS Version 1.21.1.3795
How are we supposed to handle episodes that are part of a series/season, but are not numbered. I currently have a problem with a show that has a Pilot episode and then episodes 1 - 6. In order to sort this correctly the Pilot needs to be Episode 0, but if I set that (either/both metadata/filename) Plex ignores it and will not list it. Any other episode number means it is chronologically incorrect. Or all the other episodes have to be renumbered and that’s simply not acceptable.
I could still use Season 0 instead, but that is used to contain other ‘extras’ that are not chronologically related. Also…
This problem again causes trouble for ‘Christmas Specials’ which often do not have an episode number. If they were released after the rest of that season, it’s easy to give them an Episode number one greater than the otherwise last episode. But there are some cases where that Christmas Special precedes the other episodes of that season.
This can all be solved if we can use Episode 0. This could then be used to place the troublesome episodes in the correct chronological order. As I said, larger episode numbers can always be allocated, but there is a need to be able to use Episode 0. However, if you try this, Plex ignores the episode and it is not listed at all.
There’s no real reason to not allow the use of Episode 0, it’s a number and can be used to order the list. In fact, I think the actual tags will store 0 (as distinct from empty). It just seems to be the developers who have decided we shall not be allowed to use it. Well I am against this sort of autocratic control by developers in any case, but it’s worse when their control prevents the users from using the software in the way it should be possible to use it. If all media producers worked to a common standard and all named their Shows with consistent Seasons and Episodes, there would not be this problem, but they don’t - and likely never will. So it is up to the developers of software like Plex to make allowances for these inconsistencies and not allowing the use of Episode 0 can prevent the satisfactory organisation of a lot of media. I am always finding Shows with unnumbered episodes and specials etc that fall outside the scope of what Plex ‘allows’.
Of course the other gripe is that in some cases, Seasons are named and not numbered and this needs fixing too. It’s no good just saying the media producers shouldn’t do this. Of course they should not, BUT THEY DO and Plex has to accommodate this. To be honest, it would not even be particularly hard.
Or am I missing something. Is there a way to place an unnumbered episode at the beginning of a Season?
